


I Put A Spell On You

by JetpackingPenguin



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Hogwarts AU, Slow burn because they're eleven rn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-09-07 13:38:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16854994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JetpackingPenguin/pseuds/JetpackingPenguin
Summary: The Supercorp Hogwarts AU! Featuring our favorite pairing: Supercorp, along with AgentReign and Brainia.Where everyone is human because aliens aren't part of this universe.Inspired by Hogwarts Mystery as well as the Marauders.





	I Put A Spell On You

**Author's Note:**

> Hello friends,
> 
> Imagine a Hogwarts that isn't in Scotland, because I'm American. Updates for this will be slow, but I wanted to get this out to show that I'm actually writing something, not just talking about writing. I'm a cliche and writing a Supercorp Hogwarts AU is so common, but I hope this is unique enough to stand alone. I wanted to gauge the reception for this fic. Let me know what you think because I crave validation.
> 
> -Penguin

A young dark-haired girl made her way down the cobbled streets of Diagon Alley — alone. The surrounding crowd dwarfed her, until she disappeared among the mess of bodies. In mid-August, under a cloudless, blue sky, the heat was stifling, and the crush of bodies around her merely compounded the problem. A stream of people carried the girl along, sending her down the length of the Alley. She stumbled over a protruding cobblestone, before righting herself, squeezing through the throngs to rest against a nearby brick wall in between two storefronts.

She sucked in huge lungfuls of air. Sweat clinging to the fine hairs at the nape of her neck, and her pale skin was flushed red from a mixture of heat and anxiety.

Mentally, she gave herself a pep talk: _You can do this, Lena. One thing at a time._

Okay. She had money. So, she didn’t have to go to Gringotts. She could go down her list in order and before she knew it, she’d be done.

Lena pulled out her supply list. Her eyes tripped down the long list, bouncing from her uniform, books, and other equipment. It was overwhelming. Not for the first time, she wished someone was with her.

_“How many times have you been to Diagon Alley? You can get the supplies yourself,” Lillian scoffed. She didn’t even bother to look at Lena; her eyes stayed fixed on a long roll of parchment in front of her. Every now and again her quill would scratch something out on it. Dismissed, Lena left her mother in the study. The door slamming shut behind her._

And yes, she had been here before when _Lex_ was getting his supplies, years ago, but it was completely different getting them by herself. If only Lex was with her...She quickly shoved that feeling back down. _No_. Lex was…gone. The golden boy and her mother’s favorite. A story of squandered potential, but she didn’t want to think about that. It was easier to imagine Lex somewhere on a beach, happy with his share of their father’s inheritance, rather than the bruising raw reality. She’d rather think he was too busy to write. Too busy to Floo. Off living his life, away from Lillian’s overwhelming expectations and the manor’s empty rooms. Too busy for his little sister. Lex, the brother she loved, not that stranger.

She inhaled, again — one thing at a time.

She ducked into the nearest storefront. The jingle of an overhead bell announced her entry, which, she realized, was the robe shop. Mannequins of various shapes and sizes lined the windowed front wall, clad in various styles of robes, and stacked alongside the far eastern side were bolts of fabric, each a different type, quality, and color.

A wall of mirrors lined the furthest wall, in front of which were several stools. All empty except one, where a blonde girl was having black robes pinned by a seamstress.

A harried-looking woman confronted her at the entrance, appearing from nowhere.

“Hogwarts?” she asked. Her wand tucked behind one ear while her hair fell in messy wisps around her face. A pencil held aloft in her hand like a wand. Without waiting for a response, she grabbed Lena by the wrist and pulled her over to the stool beside the blonde girl.

The girl turned to look at her. “Hi!” A megawatt smile smacked Lena. Like spun gold, her blonde hair was twisted into several small, complicated braids, all leading to one long plait that led down the middle of her back. “I'm Kara Danvers! Are you ready to start at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, too?”

Lena just blinked. “Yes,” Lena answered, dazed. Bright blue eyes framed by glasses, stared at her expectantly. _Oh, right._ “I’m Lena,” she introduced herself, the manners drilled into her from birth kicking in. The seamstress’ needle poked her when she tried to extend her hand.

“No moving!” The seamstress whipped her arm back into position like she was a doll.

They talked for a long time while their robes were tailored. Well, Kara did most of the talking. Lena basked in the warmth of her personality, listening to Kara while obeying the occasional instruction from her seamstress. Kara Danvers was a breath of fresh air. The Luthors spoke with purpose, with no time for idle chatter or conversation just for the sake of hearing about the other person’s day. Everything, from the day she was adopted, was structured. The way Kara bounced from topic to topic without any particular destination or goal in mind was strange. Strange, but welcome.

“-my sister Alex is taking me to get my supplies.” Kara jerked her head towards the back of the shop. Lena turned her head ( _“keep still!” the seamstress barked_ ) and noticed a surly looking girl in the corner of the shop. She sat on an armchair, hunched over her wand. She glanced up at hearing her name. A heavy scowl on her face and reddish-brown bangs falling over her eyes. Lena swallowed thickly and looked away from the intense looking girl. “Who are you with?” Kara’s eyes darted around the otherwise empty storefront in confusion.

 _“_ Oh, I’m-I’m here on my own, _”_ Lena admitted. She looked down, embarrassed. What was she supposed to say: _Yes, my mother hates me_. It was humiliating. She could almost hear Lex’s voice: _No, Lena. Never show them your weakness._ A strange compulsion pulled deep in her gut. More than anything, she wanted Kara to _like_ her. She tilted her chin up and forced herself to make eye contact again. “I’m old enough to go to Diagon Alley by myself,” she lied, nose scrunching.

The sewing needle was stitching the lining of her robes, solid black silk that would change to match her house colors after the sorting ceremony. Lena remembered Lex’s — green, like the trees after the springtime. A flutter of nerves twisted inside her stomach.

“Oh. Eliza wouldn’t let me out by myself,” Kara frowned, gazing down. At the seamstress’ behest, she lifted her arms. “I’m not allowed to do anything by myself.” It was the closest to bitter she’d heard from Kara. A cloud passed over her face.

Lena didn’t mean to make Kara feel bad, but she _had,_ and now she wasn’t sure what to do to make her feel better. The only way on was forward. She decided to press on. “Eliza?” Lena asked. Kara hadn’t mentioned an Eliza.

Kara seemed to realize it too. Another, smaller smile appeared on her face. Her eyes didn’t sparkle as they had before. “She’s my adoptive mother.”

Lena’s eyes widened. “I’m adopted too,” she blurted out. “When I was four,” she added quickly. She’d never met another adoptee. She wanted — no, _needed_ — to know more.

Kara looked equally surprised. “I was adopted when I was eight,” Kara said. They looked at each other. _What were the chances? The first person_ — her very first friend — _she’d meet was adopted too._ “I’ve never met someone else who was adopted,” Kara confessed, unconsciously echoing Lena’s inner dialogue.

“Me neither,” Lena said.

The seamstress tapped Kara on the shoulder. “That’s you, dear.”

Kara hopped off the stool, done with her tailoring. She shrugged off the finished product and gave it to the saleswoman.

For the very first time, she’d had a friend. Someone to talk to — _someone her age_. But, her brow furrowed, Kara was done with her robes and Lena would probably never speak to her again. She should know better. So they were friendly now, it didn’t matter. Once they arrived at Hogwarts the burden of the Luthor name would drive Kara away. Her shoulders slumped.

Kara lingered, hesitating. She looked at Lena, then back to her sister, who wasn’t paying them any attention from the back of the room.

She didn’t seem to want to leave and Lena empathized with her one hundred percent. A deep crinkle developed between Kara’s eyebrows, near a small scar.

“What else do you need to buy?” Kara asked.

“My books and wand,” Lena answered.

“Me, too.” Then, a light bulb seemingly went off above her head. Kara buzzed with excitement. “What if we get our supplies together,” Kara suggested. She clasped her hands together excitedly. Lena nodded — transfixed. Kara seemed to take it as agreement. Her megawatt smile lit up again, glowing like the face of the sun. “Alex doesn’t want to watch me anyway. This way we can hang out. It’ll be fun! I’ll tell Alex,” Kara called behind her.

She raced off before Lena could open her mouth. Not that she knew what she was going to say. Her mind ran at a fraction of its regular speed around Kara, like running through quicksand.

Lena tried to focus her hearing but couldn’t hear anything beyond the pounding of her own heart. Couldn’t make out what Kara or Alex was saying. And she couldn’t look either — her attempt to do so led to a painful poke from the needle.

She stared straight ahead, counting to herself. One. _Maybe Kara left?_ Two. _What if Alex said no?_ Three. _What if she doesn’t want to be my friend afterward?_

By the time she reached thirty, the seamstress had finished with her robes. “And that’s you.” The woman took the finished robes from Lena. “Come to the register to pay. I’ll package these.”

Lena hardly paid her any attention. Now, she was free; she was _scared_ to look back. Part of her was terrified Kara had left. But, the other part of her was equally terrified Kara had stayed. What did she know about friends? Her only friend was her older brother who developed megalomaniac tendencies when she wasn’t watching.

She turned.

Waiting in the corner were Alex and Kara, their heads bent low together, seemingly arguing. Kara’s face brightened the moment she saw Lena, waving jauntily. Lena weakly waved back as she walked over to the register. The woman placed her new black robes inside a box lined with soft tissue paper, which was then placed in another paper bag.

“5 galleons.”

Lena counted out five golden galleons from her coin purse and paid for her purchases, taking them from the woman. Finally, with nothing left to do, she walked over to Kara.

“So, you’re the one Kara wants to shop with.” Alex shot her a fearsome look. Accusatory. Like this was her idea.

“Now, _Lena_ isn’t it?” Alex didn’t wait for an answer. “I’m meeting some of my friends. You’ll stick with Kara?” Lena nodded. Alex glared at her. “You’ll keep each other safe?”

Kara rolled her eyes. “Merlin’s beard, Alex. We’ll be fine.”

“I’m the one who’ll be in trouble if anything happens to you,” Alex snapped. She took a deep breath. “Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour in two hours. I know Kara won’t forget about ice cream.”

“Thanks, Alex!” Kara grabbed Lena’s arm, muttering _‘go, go’_ under her breath as she dragged her from the shop.

“Don’t be late,” Alex yelled after them.

Lena blinked as her eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight outside. Now that they were away from the shop Kara didn’t seem to know what to do with her newfound freedom. Alex was older, but Lena wasn’t sure if Kara had ever accompanied her to Diagon Alley in the past.

“Flourish and Blotts is this way,” Lena pointed. Kara’s hand had migrated from her arm down, so they now held hands. There was no way they could be separated now. “Ollivanders is near the entranceway.”

“Let’s go to Flourish and Blotts,” Kara decided. “It’s closer.”

They set off down the cobblestone lane, still holding hands. The alleyway didn’t seem as crowded as it had before. The overwhelming sensation of fear had ebbed and the alley seemed far less threatening with Kara by her side. If anything, it was cheerful, with bright sunlight beaming down on them.

Alex had a good reason for being so firm with Kara, if Kara’s current behavior was anything to judge. Like an overexcited puppy, Kara darted from window to window, pointing out various items of interest ( _‘Look, Lena!’_ ). She almost had to be dragged away from the candy display in front of Honeydukes — _Grand Opening: All items 10% off!_ — her eyes fixated on a scale model chocolate broomstick.

Kara was still talking about it even as they shopped at Flourish and Blotts. “I could’ve eaten it!”

“You would’ve gotten sick,” Lena laughed. Warmth expanded inside her chest, filling her up like helium and lifting her higher and higher. She picked up a copy of _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1_ from a large stack.

“Worth it,” Kara grumbled. She took her copy of the book from the stack as well.

Flourish and Blotts was all towering stacks of books and bookcases reaching the ceiling. It smelled of parchment and ink, dust, and the faintest whiff of leather. Lena dragged her eyes lazily over the titles, some she recognized from the manor library. Others, she knew, would not be in a family bookstore, but Knockturn Alley. Kara traced her fingertips across the stack of books, looking as enthralled as Lena.

Big books, small books, invisible books — any kind of book imaginable, all were for sale at Flourish and Blotts. Lena could stay here all day, like she spent her time in the Luthor Manor library back home. But, they were under a time limit. They had an hour before they needed to meet Alex, and who knew how long it would take to find their wands.

Lena felt eyes on her. She desperately wanted to imagine it was in her head, but _‘stares are to be expected, Lena.’_ Not to mention after last year…She did her best to ignore it.

Kara sidled up to her. “Do you know him?” She muttered. Lena looked up from her stack of books and past Kara. A wizard, a copy of the _Daily Prophet_ in hand, staring at her. Unease filled her.

“No,” she shakily answered. She didn’t know him, but she could guess why he was staring at her. Under his thumb, a familiar face sneered in black and white, pushing against the borders of the paper.

Kara stepped in front of her, turning and glaring at the man. He looked down and away, cowed. They weren’t alone inside the bookshop. Nearby, a few upperclassmen were sorting through the discount stacks. Their laughter beginning to grate on her ears.

“Let’s get out of here,” Lena muttered, dragging Kara to the till. She was still glaring hard at the man.

Books paid for, they left the store for the warmth of outside. Lena rubbed her arms, feeling the invasive sensation despite the distance from the store.

“Are you okay?” Kara asked. She was on high alert, fists balled at her sides, looking around like she half expected the man to pop out from behind a planter. ”We should find Alex.” Jittery, her eyes darted around, not fixed on any one spot. “She should’ve come with us. She would’ve hexed him.”

“No,” Lena interjected. She took a deep inhale. She didn’t want to think about the stares she would continue to get. “No, let’s just get our wands.”

Kara squawked, outraged. “But, Lena, he was spying on you! What if he shows up again?”

Kara. Good, kind Kara. She was in the dark about who Lena was, why that man was looking at her. Kara deserved better. She deserved to know whom she had befriended in Madam Malkin’s robe shop.

“He was looking because of my name. Not because of me,” Lena explained.

Kara stopped in the middle of the alley. Frowning. “What do you mean?”

Several people jostled them on their way past, unhappy at the roadblock. Down the road, near Ollivanders, was a stone bench.

“Can we talk about this somewhere else?” Lena asked.

At Kara’s nod, Lena led them to it, sitting down on the bench. Kara stood, still on guard, eyes darting around like she half expected a wizard or witch to accost them.

“What’s up?” Kara asked, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

Lena patted the bench beside her. “Sit down.”

Kara sat at the edge, knees bouncing.

Nervously, Lena scratched at her arm. “Listen. I need you to be sure you want to be my friend.”

Kara smiled, confused. “Why wouldn’t I?” Kara asked.

“My name is Lena _Luthor_. My brother is Lex Luthor.” Kara’s eyes widened, but she didn’t move away from her. Her face didn’t twist with the same disgust as the man in the bookstore. “ _Lex Luthor_ ,” Lena stressed, just in case she wasn’t clear. “He-he's in Azkaban.” Acid rose in her throat. “What he did was all in the Daily Prophet this summer.”

The headlines ran through her mind. _Crazed Luthor. Lex Luthor: Terrorist Plot Foiled._

Kara’s expression turned solemn, lips downturned. “I heard about it. I’m sorry.”

Lena looked away.

“The whole school will know. That man back at Flourish and Blotts? He had a copy of the Daily Prophet. My family has been all over the papers this summer. The professors will know. Everyone will know. I’ll understand if you don’t want to be friends,” she said, fighting back the bitter disappointment welling inside her.

“You didn’t do those things,” Kara said, laying her hand on top of Lena’s. Kara puffed herself up. “You’re my friend, and you’re not your brother. I won’t let anyone say anything bad about you.” Kara’s face was serious but kind. Warmth flooded through Lena.

“He’s a murderer.”

“That’s not on you.”

The afternoon foot traffic passed them by, unconcerned by the two girls seated together. No one was watching them, listening, or judging. Lena inhaled deep as the words spilled out of her.

“I was always proud to be a Luthor. I just want to restore my family's name, and prove myself a great witch,” Lena said.

“You will,” Kara reassured her. Lena ducked her head, hiding the beginnings of a blush. No one had believed in her. Not like this, not so soon after meeting her. Especially in the wake of what Lex did, what he’d become, but Kara was already willing to fight for her — to go to bat for her. She didn’t deserve Kara’s unwavering faith — especially since they just met — but she wasn’t going to question it. She’d make sure Kara’s trust wasn’t misplaced.

They stood up from the bench, and Lena checked her watch. They were a few storefronts away from Ollivanders. They should have time. She opened her mouth to tell Kara that when she froze. Kara wrapped her in a hug. Lena couldn’t remember the last time someone hugged her like this. Maybe Lex, when she was first adopted? Never Lillian. Uncertainty, she wrapped her arms around Kara’s middle. How hard should she squeeze? How close was too close? Slowly, Lena relaxed into the hug. All too soon, Kara released her.

“Let’s get our wands. And then we can get _ice cream_.”

Kara’s face brightened at the mention of ice cream. Crisis averted and friendship confirmed, the two made their way to Ollivanders " _Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C._ " and entered the dark building.

They paused in the dusty, dim light of the entranceway. Lena shuffled closer to Kara. Wand boxes, stacked to the ceiling filled every corner of the store. A woody smell emanated around the room, along with the sharp scent of wand polish.

Ollivanders. Where every Luthor had gotten their wand. Lena had the vaguest memory of walking past the place.

A soft voice spoke near her right ear. “Good afternoon.”

Lena jumped a foot into the air, her heart rabbiting against her chest. White hair and silvery orb-like eyes, he almost seemed to appear from thin air.

“Here to receive your first wands, yes? I remember every wand I’ve ever sold. Your sister, Ms. Danvers, Aspen wood. Unbending. A good wand for dueling.”

Ollivander crossed the short space to the rough wooden countertop, pushing past the swinging door to the back half of the shop.

“And your brother, Ms. Luthor, favored a Hornbeam wand. The perfect wand for a wizard with single, pure passion- or obsession.” Ollivander’s eyes cut towards her. “A powerful wand, indeed.”

A hot flush swept up her face.

“Wow.” Kara looked starry-eyed at Ollivander.

Ollivander thumbed through the wand boxes, his moon grey eyes wide and far away- unfocused. He came back to the front of the room and deposited his wands on the front table. He stacked them into two piles, taking the topmost box from the left stack.

He opened the first box and removed the wand from inside, holding it out. “Now, Ms. Danvers. Applewood and dragon heartstring, nine inches, rigid. Give it a whirl.”

Kara took the wand, holding it at chest level.

“Give it a wave!” Ollivander commanded.

Kara jumped and waved her wand wildly. Immediately an inkpot exploded on Ollivander’s desk, sending black ink everywhere. The ink vanished with a quick wave of his wand. He snatched it from Kara’s loose grip.

“No. Definitely not.”

“Sorry,” Kara apologized.

“The wand chooses the witch or wizard, Ms. Danvers. Do not apologize. It was simply not the right wand for you.” He placed the wand back into its box and banished it to the stacks with a wave of his wand.

He took a wand from the right stack this time.

“Ms. Luthor.” He held out a wand, which she took. “Walnut and Unicorn Tail Hair, 10¾ inches, reasonably supple.”

Lena took the wand. Warmth immediately flooded up her arm and through her body. Twisting her wand, a shower of green sparks erupted from the end. Kara clapped, cheering. Lena grinned back and twirled her wand. _Her wand._

“Excellent! Excellent!” Ollivander smiled. “A very versatile wand. I’ll be interested to see how you use it.”

Ollivander banished her stack of wands.

“And, now you, Ms. Danvers.”

Ollivander handed her a pale wand (“12 inches, acacia wand with a unicorn hair core, pliable”), which sent a stack of papers flying, then a darker stained wand (“11-and-three-quarter-inches blackthorn wand with a unicorn hair core”) which caused the bell above the shop door to expand three times its original size, before finally handing her:

“Holly and Dragon Heartstring, 11 inches, supple. A good wand for defensive charms,” Ollivander commented.

Kara took the wand and Lena knew that was the one. Her expression lighting up, Kara sent the wand slashing through the air. A shower of red sparks erupted from the end of her wand. Kara laughed delightedly as the sparks fell around their heads, bathing the shop in soft red light.

15 galleons each later and the two witches left Ollivanders behind, wands in tow.

With five minutes to spare, they arrived in front of Florean Fortescue’s, where an impatient and worried Alex paced back and forth beneath a bright blue umbrella. Sitting at a small table in front of the window was a short girl with dark, bobbed hair and a tall, dark-skinned boy, a camera hanging from his neck.

“See, here they are, Alex. You worried for nothing.”

“What took so long?” Alex demanded. Kara made a show of looking down at her watch, then looking over at Lena.

“You said to meet in two hours. That was at twelve thirty. It’s half past two now.” Kara looked at the two people seated at the table. Alex sat down in the third chair, aggressively digging into her cup of ice cream.

“Hi, Lucy. Hi, James.” She turned to Lena. “Lucy Lane and her boyfriend, James Olsen — my sister’s friends.” She looked back at the pair, “And this is my friend Lena.”

Lena waved shyly.

“What flavors did you get?” Kara peered over Alex’s shoulder, nosing her face so it was directly beside Alex’s. She entered a playful tug of war over Alex’s next bite of ice cream.

“So, Lena, you’re starting Hogwarts this year?” James asked. Lena nodded. She hovered, unsure what to do while Kara tried to eat her sister’s ice cream.

“What house are you hoping for?” Lucy scooped up another bite of what looked like chocolate ice cream into her mouth.

“I don’t know,” Lena said. All the Luthors had been in Slytherin, but she wasn’t ready to tell these strangers that. She crossed her arms. “What house are you in?”

“Alex and I are in Slytherin. James is a Hufflepuff.” Lena’s eyebrows raised in surprise. James didn’t _look_ like a Hufflepuff. When she heard Hufflepuff, she imagined someone smaller.

An uncomfortable silence fell over them. Before it got too tense, Kara left Alex’s side to stand beside her, the corners of her mouth stained with chocolate.

“Let’s get our ice cream!” Kara dragged her past the multi-colored umbrellas to the open store door. “What’s your favorite flavor?” Kara pulled Lena to the wide ice cream display up front.

In the end, Kara got a gigantic sundae full of mismatching flavors since she _“couldn’t decide on just one.”_ And the entire thing was smothered in chocolate syrup and whipped cream. Lillian would have never allowed it. As Kara offered her spoonfuls, Lena could almost hear her mother’s screams of disapproving horror in her head. She accepted them anyways, taking a bite whenever Kara ‘stole’ another mouthful of Lena’s mint chocolate chip.

Like all good things, the day had to end. Lena dragged her feet as the group accompanied her to the Floo located inside the Leaky Cauldron. Her hands bumped against Kara’s as they walked.

“I’m glad we met, Kara.”

Kara smiled. “Me too. I’ll find you on the Hogwarts Express in September, promise,” she declared.

Lena forced a smile back. It was nice of Kara to say. But who knew if Kara would even remember her come September 1st.

With another bone-crushing hug, Lena said goodbye to Kara, and waved at the others, making sure they were out of earshot before she threw the Floo powder into the fire. The Leaky Cauldron disappeared in a swirl of green flames. A few moments later her feet hit the ground hard, sending her stumbling into the marble-floored Luthor Manor Foyer.

Home sweet home.

 

\----

\----

 

Steam rolled in like a fog on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. Vague shapes of witches and wizards covered the landing, and Lena Luthor was alone, once again. She pulled her trunk through the crowd, pushing past people, along with their assorted pets.

_“Mother.” Lena waited for the older woman to acknowledge her. Lillian hummed but didn’t turn around. “Tomorrow is September first.”_

_The sun was beginning to set over the horizon, painting Luthor Manor in dark shadows. Lena looked back into the foyer. The family crest, high on the wall, was eye level now, and seemingly glowering at her. Glaring at Lena. Not a Luthor by blood, unwanted by the last Luthor remaining in the house. From the hallway, Lena felt the weight of the Luthor name bearing down on her, the impact of their symbol: a white boar atop a green and purple vertical striped backdrop. Lena turned back to her adoptive mother._

_Lillian’s back was to her, but her cold eyes followed Lena through her reflection. She twisted her brown hair into a tight bun, her lime green Saint Mungo’s robes already in place. The garish color stood out among the cool neutrals and wood tones of her parents’ bedroom._

_“You know where the platform is,” Lillian said, dismissively. “I have a conference and cannot hold your hand.” Her eyes left Lena’s and focused on attaching a jeweled pin, holding the tight bun in place._

_Lena nodded, turned, and entered the hallway outside her adoptive mother’s room. She took a deep breath, pausing at the top of the mahogany staircase. She expected as much, but it still_ stung _. Why was she expecting any different?_

 _She exhaled through her nose, focusing on a portrait of a dark medieval witch. Her long black hair was wild around her face, framing a prominent jaw and green-gold eyes._ Not my relative, _Lena reassured herself._ I am not a Luthor by blood. _The resemblance was uncanny, though..._ No, I am adopted. I am not one of them. She wasn’t part of their darkness — wasn’t related to Lex’s madness.

_“Lena,” She froze at the top of the stairs, looking back._

_“You represent the Luthors. Do not disappoint me.”_

The Luthor fortune ensured Lena had the best quality trunk—lightening charms included—so she didn’t need help getting it aboard. A Luthor _never_ needs help, after all. Maintaining this illusion was part of the Luthor burden.

She walked with her head held high down the length of the train, passing compartment after compartment; each filled to the brim with students. Those that weren’t overflowing, Lena knew she wasn’t welcome in. Most were already in their school robes, but some dressed in their muggle attire. _Disgraceful_ , said a voice that sounded like Lillian’s in her head. Lena shook it off. She was _free_. Free from Lillian and her expectations. Free to be her own person. She couldn’t do that if Lillian haunted her every step, every observation. Finally, finding an empty compartment near the back of the train, Lena nudged past a few fellow first years, who parted once they saw who she was.

 _Luthor_.

It already started. The whispers. Compartment doors closing as she passed. The stares. _Lex, Lex, Lex_. With luck, she’d be left alone back here.

She wanted to scream— _don’t be so theatrical Lena_ —-rage against the unfairness of it all. _It wasn’t her fault._ She didn’t _know_ what Lex was going to do—that he was so far gone. A scarlet letter was on her, a brand marking her one of _them_. A Luthor. Demented, deranged, _obsessed_.

In anger, she threw her trunk down to the floor. It floated weightlessly before landing with a soft thump. She ran her hand through her long black hair, pulling at the roots. The brief pain grounding her.

A soft knock at the compartment door sent her spinning. A familiar, bespectacled blonde girl poked her head inside.

“Lena!”

“K-Kara?” Lena stuttered. She blinked, never expecting to see the girl again.

The taller girl nodded rapidly, heaving her trunk through the compartment door, fighting it as it tried to slide closed on her. Kara's hair was hair pulled back into a high ponytail this time. She looked more comfortable than Lena, dressed in a soft pastel pink sweater and jeans.

Lena rushed to hold the door.

“Thanks.” Kara wiped the back of her hand across her sweaty forehead. “I was looking for you.” She grinned.

Without realizing it, Lena smiled back. Her happiness was contagious.

 _She didn’t forget me._ Lena was sure, the moment Kara went home and looked up Lex Luthor, there was no way—but Kara surprised her.

“Here I am.” Lena held out her arms, presenting the compartment in all its red glory. “Where’s your sister?”

“With her friends.” Kara puffed, struggling in vain to lift the trunk into the overhead compartment before giving up, dropping the handle to the ground with a thud. “She doesn’t have to watch me on the train.”

She nudged her trunk until it was beside Lena’s underneath the side table beneath the window. Tired, Kara flopped onto the red upholstered bench, and Lena sat daintily opposite her.

Now, Kara was in front of her, all the words she’d practiced, all the things she wanted to say given a chance, faded from her mind like smoke. _I’m not like my brother. What does your sister think about me? Do you really like me?_ Kara didn’t have this same problem, starting rambling.

“I was scared I wouldn’t find you. Alex is in the middle of the train, but she doesn’t want me there. She’s the best big sister!” Kara was quick to reassure, seeing Lena’s face change. “She likes hanging out with her friends. Well, we’re friends, but we’re sisters, so that’s different-”

A loud growl filled the room, Kara’s hands flying down to her stomach.

Lena looked around the compartment. “Did you smuggle a tiger onboard?”

Kara grimaced at her. “Sorry. I’m hungry.”

“Really? I would never have guessed.”

Kara smiled and resumed her babbling, her hand resting on her still gurgling stomach. Lena let Kara’s voice and the continuous stream of words wash over her. What was she worried about? From the few hours they’d spent together in Diagon Alley, Lena felt more comfortable than she had in seven years with her mother.

Lena reached over and unlatched her trunk. She moved aside her robes and books, feeling blindly for the small latch, catching it with her fingernail and opening the secret compartment. A few seconds later and she pulled out her contraband: a sugar quill.

She presented it to Kara, holding it out, so the sugar-spun feather faced her. The other girl’s face brightened like the sun.

“You have candy?” Kara smiled, delightedly. “Thank you!” She snatched the quill from Lena’s fingers and popped it into her mouth, sugar feather first.

“Just the one,” Lena answered. Guilt momentarily bit at her.

_“You don’t need any more treats, Lena.” Lillian’s eyes trailed down her, focusing on her soft middle._

Mother never scrutinized Lex. Lex, tall with his copper-colored curls was entitled to anything he wanted. His Azkaban cell photo flashed in front of her eyes. Head shaved, with the beginnings of a receding hairline, he didn’t even look like her brother anymore. Lena shook her head to rid herself of the thoughts. She was free now.

Kara froze, her mouth bulging on the side, looking guilty. “Please, you can have it,” Lena said, reassuring her.

Kara squinted at her before deciding Lena was telling the truth. “Thank you,” she repeated around a mouthful of sugar.

Lena just smiled, basking in the warmth setting inside her stomach at Kara’s happiness. When the food trolley came around, Lena made sure to buy Kara a few chocolate frogs as well, despite her protests.

 

\----

 

The train twisted its way through the countryside, and the sun set lower and lower until only the shadowy shapes of the trees streaking by were visible. Before long, the train began to slow and anticipation raced up and down the compartments.

Kara’s legs bounced, shaking the compartment floor. The red leather under her fingers had new fingernail grooves too.

“Are you nervous?” Lena asked. Kara’s leg stopped shaking.

“No.” Kara fidgeted with the brim of her glasses. “...yes,” she muttered.

“Why? The sorting is painless,” Lena tried joking. What was there to worry about? It was a _magical hat_. Each year, first years tried it on in front of the school and were told their house. Quick and painless, as Lex would say.

“Alex told me about it,” Kara said. “I’m scared but excited. Like when you take off on a broom the first time.” She gestured with her hands.

Lena didn’t know. All she felt while flying was absolute terror and the desire to get back down. Nevertheless, she nodded along with Kara.

“I don’t know what house I’ll be in. What if I’m in Gryffindor? Slytherins don’t like Gryffindor.”

Real fear entered her voice, her throat constricting. Lena thought back to what she remembered of Alex. “From what I saw, Alex is protective of you. Your house won’t change that,” Lena said, unsurely. Then again, what did she know? The Danvers could be legacy Slytherins. “Does your family care about your house?”

Kara shook her head. “No. Eliza and Jeremiah were both Ravenclaw, but they always said our house doesn’t define us.” _Luthors are Slytherin._ Lena felt a quick stab of envy, before smothering it. Slytherin, the house of Merlin himself. A proud house filled with history — history she would add to. Or else.

Before either one could say anything more, a loud piercing whistle rang through the train.

“We have arrived in Hogsmeade Station,” a nasally voice announced. “Please leave any luggage or pets in your compartment. They will be taken to the school separately.”

Lena made sure her wand was securely in her robe pocket before joining the mess of students gathering in the hallway outside.

The journey up to the castle was a strange blur. Lena remembered the broader points of it: the trip by boat across the inky Black Lake, the slap of cold air on her cheeks, the castle gleaming against the midnight backdrop of the night sky, and the winding ascent up the stairs from the boathouse to the castle. The minor details were forgotten, and somewhere along the line Lena and Kara started to hold hands to stay together.

Inside the Entrance Hall, before a set of double doors, a tall, dark wizard with stern features met them. It was at this moment Lena’s brain kicked back into gear and focused.

“My name is Professor J’onzz. Welcome to Hogwarts. Within moments we will enter the Great Hall. There, the sorting will commence.” Kara squeezed down on her clammy hand. With her free hand, Lena pushed her hair away from her face.

J’onn’s eyes swept over their faces. “There is nothing to fear from the sorting, and there is no wrong way to be sorted. Each house has their own history and their own stories. First, you will enter the hall in two straight lines.”

Without further prompting, they formed a line in front of Professor J’onzz, who nodded approvingly. He turned his back to them.

With a wave of his wand, heavy double doors opened. With their opening, a wall of sound hit them as hundreds of students chattering, all excited, hit their ears. They entered a long, high hall. The first-years nearly stumbled over their robes, trailing like baby ducks after Professor J'onzz, marching between two house tables.  Four long tables ran along the length of the hall, each with a banner hanging over them, illuminated by candles floating in the air all around them. Overhead, a ceiling full of stars twinkled down at them.

Kara nudged her. “There’s Alex.” She pointed at the Slytherin table, where Alex and Lucy were sitting together. They both waved, and Kara waved back with five times the exuberance, spinning to wav at James, seated at the Hufflepuff table on the other side of the hall.

They gathered at the front of the hall, in front of the staff table, which sat perpendicular to the four house tables. Each filled to the brim with students, all eyes looking right at them.

Professor J’onzz cleared his throat, and the hall fell silent. A dirty, ragged looking, pointed hat sat on a three-legged stool next to him.

Lena knew every student ever sorted had to put on the hat, but she couldn’t imagine Lillian letting anything so grimy near her. Then again, she couldn’t imagine Lillian young either. The mental image of Lillian wearing the hat popped intrusively into her mind and her mouth twisted with a smile.

Professor J’onzz unrolled a long roll of parchment.

“When I call your name you will sit and put on the Sorting Hat. There are four houses: Gryffindor for the brave and chivalrous, Hufflepuff for the kind and diligent, Ravenclaw for the witty and wise, and Slytherin for the cunning and ambitious.”

He cleared his throat.

“Ardeen, Imra,” he read.

A dark-haired girl stepped out from the huddle and made her way to the front of the room, where she sat on the stool.

The hat fell over her eyes.

Lena watched in fascination. Imra’s fists were balled, holding on tight to her robes, and at one point she almost seemed to mouth something but with no sound. Lena wondered what was going on, how the hat was processing which house to choose. The rip near the brim opened wide.

“Hufflepuff!”

The yellow and black-clad table burst into applause. And they were off.

They went through the As and Bs in alphabetical order. Then the first D.

“Danvers, Kara.”

Kara’s blonde ponytail bounced as she skipped up to the chair. She sat down and her knees began to bounce. Professor J’onzz placed the Sorting Hat on her head.

The hat fell over her eyes, hitting her glasses on the way down. A few of the older students snickered. Kara picked up the brim with one hand and pushed her glasses back up with the other. Glasses fixed, she dropped the rim of the hat back over her eyes again.

The hat sat still and silent on Kara’s head for a full minute. Nearby, the other first years began squirming. New butterflies fluttered to life in Lena’s stomach. Finally-

“Gryffindor!”

The Gryffindor table clapped, but a loud cheer roared up from the Slytherin table. Lena and the rest of the first years looked over to see Lucy and Alex cheering, even as the rest of their house looked disgusted.

Kara glowed, taking off the hat and happily sitting with the Gryffindors. She waved at Lena. She wiggled her fingers back. Her arms felt like lead weights.

The sorting continued with the Ds, Es, Fs, and Gs. At each passing letter, Lena’s nerves grew that much stronger.

No longer butterflies, whatever in her stomach was angry and twisting into knots like a leviathan. She breathed in, focusing. _You are Lena Luthor — you can do this,_ she told herself. Mentally, she took her feelings and imagined stuffing them in a box, and then placing that box inside of a box, before finally smashing it with a hammer.

Hs, Is, Js, Ks. The mental boxes hadn’t worked. The knot became a lead ball in her gut and in her throat. She was going to throw up. This was her punishment for not being nervous earlier. Typical Luthor hubris.

“Luthor, Lena.”

The excited murmurings of the sorting died as an oppressive silence fell over her ears, blocking out all sound and everything but the chair and the hat. She walked to the front of the room, sitting in the chair.

Her eyes sought out Kara at the Gryffindor table. She was smiling encouragingly at Lena, who tried to smile back. She failed and grimaced at her instead.

The hat fell over her head, sending her into darkness.

 _“Interesting. Very interesting.”_ Lena jumped. _That_ was not her mental voice. Lena wasn’t sure what to do. Should she think back to the hat? Respond out loud?

 _“Ambitious. Cunning. Very intelligent. You would do well in Slytherin. And in Slytherin, you’ll make your_ real _friends.”_ She already had a friend — in Gryffindor.

The hat continued, _“You can achieve all the great things you dreamed of in Slytherin.”_ She didn’t want greatness. She just wanted to be herself.

 _Lex was in Slytherin._ The thought crawled inside her mind like cockroach. But, then she thought more on it, and about what she said to Kara in Diagon Alley — _I just want to restore my family's name._

 _Not Slytherin,_ she thought _._

_“Not Slytherin...? Yes, I see. Better be-”_

“Gryffindor!”

The hat lifted from her head. The hall stood still, silent, stunned. Then the Gryffindor table was cheering, and waiting for her at the end was Kara. Her face alone stood out. Without looking at anyone else, Lena headed right for her.

“Lena!” Kara greeted her with a bear hug that Lena returned. All the adrenaline was shooting through her body. “We’re Gryffindors!”

They sat down together, so close their shoulders bumped. Lena’s body was still shaking with excitement, her heart thumping like she’d run a mile. She beamed over at Kara, unable to speak but so very happy the sorting was over for her. With another hush, the hall quieted down again, the next student called.

With the burden of her sorting lifted, so too were her spirits. Lena slumped over the table as her adrenaline crashed.

The rest of the sorting went by like a blur. Finally, each first year was seated at one of the house tables.

A small woman with perfectly styled blonde hair and immaculately pressed robes stood up from the center of the staff table.

“Students.” Everyone fell silent. The woman sounded bored. Even a little contemptuous. “It’s another year at Hogwarts. I expect everyone to be on their best behavior.” The _or else_ heavily implied. Lena had heard a lot about Headmistress Cat Grant. She wasn’t one to cross according to Lex. Not that that had stopped him. “Now, eat and then off to bed. Chop, chop.”

She clapped her hands together, and Kara gasped as food materialized on the gigantic golden plates lining the table at even intervals.

If Lena wanted to eat, she better make a plate, especially if Kara’s pile of food was any indication. With a smile, she started to fill her plate and packed her fears into a new box for later.

 

\----

 

After dinner, an older student wearing a shiny red and gold prefect badge led them from the Great Hall. Lena noticed he had the beginnings of a wispy looking mustache ghosting over his top lip, his adam’s apple bulging from his skinny neck.   

He led them up the grand staircase. Every inch of wall was covered in portraits, big and small. Each frame occupied as the inhabitants strained for a look at the new students. Together they went up, where they were lockstep with the Ravenclaws until the fifth-floor landing where they branched left and the blue clad Ravenclaws went right. With heavy groaning noises, the stairs above them shifted, changing to another landing.

“The staircases change, so be careful,” the prefect called back to them. “Stay together.”

Up more flights of stairs, so many Lena’s legs were burning, until they finally reached a deserted corridor and stopped.

Like the grand staircase, it was well lit. That was where the similarities ended. While portraits covered every square inch of the grand staircase, this corridor had just the one, at the very end. A nearby window showed the night sky outside and a nearby tower.

The portrait was taller than the prefect by about a head, outlined by a thick gold frame. Inside, a large woman in a pink silk dress was reclined on a crimson, velvet covered chaise lounge. Her eyes looked over the first years in front of her.

“Password?” she asked.

The prefect took charge again. “You need to know the password to enter the common room. It changes each week, so pay attention,” he called over his shoulder.

He cleared his throat importantly. “Coconut Cream.”

The portrait swung open like a door, allowing them inside.

They entered Gryffindor Tower. A short entryway opened to the circular tower, a message board affixed to the closest wall. The inside was large and a departure from the colorless corridor outside. Intricate wallpaper covered the walls — what could be seen from behind the portraits anyways — and thick rugs carpeted the dark wooden floor. Squishy armchairs and a large couch bracketed a roaring fireplace. Overhead, a stone lion bust roared to the room at large. A chessboard sat, set up, on the table nearby. Outside the steepled windows, Lena could see the outlines of hills in the distance through the darkness.

It was warm, welcoming, and nothing like Luthor Manor. The manor’s rooms were papered as well, but in dark colors depicting dramatic scenes from Greek tales.

The prefect stood with his back to the fire, “Girls, upstairs to your right, boys, to your left. There are bathrooms upstairs as well. I recommend turning in, tomorrow is a busy day.”

The first years began dispersing. Kara’s soft voice popped up on her left. “I can’t believe we’re Gryffindors.”

Lena looked over and saw the awe on Kara’s face, accompanying an equally joyful smile.

“You wanted Gryffindor? I thought you were nervous about it?” Lena asked, confused.

Kara’s smile turned sad. “My mom was a Gryffindor.”

Lena reached over and squeezed her hand. She knew Kara was adopted, but she hadn’t learned the specifics. Lena’s memories of her birth mother (a muggleborn witch, to Lillian’s horror) were shadowed with age, leaving nothing behind but a lingering fear of the water. She wasn’t even sure what house her mother belonged to. She very well could have been Gryffindor too, but every Luthor was in Slytherin. Kara squeezed her hand back before letting go with a smile.

Kara’s joy was infectious, but a dark cloud was beginning to form over Lena’s head.

“I’m a _Gryffindor_.” Lena began to hyperventilate. A tight band around her chest squeezed tighter and tighter, strangling her.

 _Merlin. She was a_ Gryffindor _._

Every Luthor was a Slytherin, from the founding of the family. The Luthors were one of the oldest, purest families. Lena was a half-blood, not even a _real_ Luthor. Now this. What would her mother say?

_Disappointment, disgrace, embarrassment._

“Hey, hey!” Kara stood in front of Lena, face-to-face so she was all she could see. “You’re okay. It’s okay.”

“I’m in Gryffindor,” Lena said, faintly. “There’s never been a Gryffindor Luthor. Slytherins hate Gryffindors,” she parroted Kara’s words from earlier.

Lena’s heart continued to sink. She could imagine Lillian’s face upon discovering the news — that look of perpetual disappointment and shame. None of the pride or love she showed Lex. Her jaw clenched.

A boy scowled darkly at Lena from the nearby sofa. "I can't believe they let a _Luthor_ in after what your brother did! You should be ruining Slytherin’s reputation, not Gryffindor’s," he said.

Lena’s heart stuttered inside her chest.

Kara immediately straightened, moving forward, so Lena was a little behind her. "Lena will be a great Gryffindor! You aren’t if you’re bullying first-years!"

His face, from the tips of his ears, went pink.

"I’m not the one sharing a room with her. Watch your back." He gave them both a nasty glare. Lena avoided his face, concentrating on the stone fireplace mantel instead.

“Let’s go to the dorms,” she said, pulling on Kara’s sleeve. After a moment spent glaring at the boy, Kara went with her.

They went over to the spiral staircase in the corner of the room, up a floor until reaching a mahogany door. Beside it was a gold plaque reading ‘First Years.’

They opened the door to another circular room. Five dark-framed, four-poster beds, thick, scarlet curtains hanging from its frame, were arranged around the room, each identically dressed in a vibrant scarlet duvet with gold threading interwoven. The floors were dark mahogany with a large boiler in the middle of the room providing warmth. The windows bracketing each bed, covered in the same elaborate tapestry as the common room.

The other Gryffindor girls were each at their beds or trunks. They looked up but didn’t otherwise react to their entering the room. The remaining two beds were next to each other, closest to the door.

Safe in the confines of their dorm, Lena let her shoulders relax.

She kept her gaze fixed to her shoes. “Thank you for sticking up for me.”

Kara crouched a little to make eye contact. “Of course. I wasn’t going to let him badmouth my friend.”

“This won’t be the last time someone brings up my brother,” she warned Kara.

Kara puffed up, glasses sliding down her nose. “Then that’s not the last time I’ll get into an argument.”

A warm glow sprung to life inside her chest. With Kara by her side, the burden of her name didn’t feel nearly as heavy. Still, she woke up the next morning with dreams of howlers echoing in her head.

 

\----

\----

 

The first few months at Hogwarts flew by in a flurry of magic and homework. Lena, who had lived all her life with the onerous restrictions of her mother, didn’t know what to do at first. There was so much _freedom_ : freedom to eat as much junk food as she wanted (not that she wanted to, but the option was there), freedom to stay up late, freedom to associate with anyone she pleased (hypothetically, no one wanted to speak to a _Luthor_ ). Even when Lillian wasn’t home, she was still _there_. A looming specter of her and her rules always keeping Lena in line, the knowledge the house elves reported to her mother serving as a reminder of her lingering presence. At Hogwarts, she was free, and it was overwhelming.

That wasn’t to say things were easy, because they weren’t. No one wanted to sit next to her during mealtimes, so she sat at the end of the table, Kara acting as a human shield. People stayed an arm’s length or more away from her at all times, like she was contagious or cursed. It was easy to ignore during class, when her focus was on her assignments and wand work. The journey to and from classes was the worst, because of the sheer volume of students they walked past—you couldn’t help but hear snippets of conversation as you walked by.

_“Luthor scum.”_

_“Don't make eye contact.”_

_“Think she’ll go bald like her brother?”_

It was childish, but Lena walked with her head held high. Luthors and gossip went together like pumpkins and Halloween. She could ignore the whispers surrounding her.

She could—but Kara couldn’t.

_“Blood traitor.”_

It was tame in comparison to the other comments directed at her. To be honest, Lena _liked it_ , happy at the implication she wasn’t Lex in a skirt. Calling her a blood traitor meant she disagreed with Lex and all he stood for, and she’d wear it with a badge of pride.

_“She’s not even pure. Half-breed.”_

Kara spun around. “Leave her alone!” She glared at the speaker, an older Slytherin girl. Lena recognized her from the annual Ministry functions. She was from an old family with money. Something with an S, but she couldn’t remember.

“I wasn’t talking to you, firstie.” The clique of girls surrounding her laughed.

“You are now.” Kara planted both hands on her hips. “Who’re you?”

The dark-haired Slytherin looked amused. “Veronica Sinclair.”

“Well, _Veronica_ —stop it.” Hardly a scathing rebuke. The group of girls surrounding Veronica giggled again.

“And who are you?” Veronica asked, smirking.

Kara adjusted her glasses in nervous habit. “Kara Danvers.”

The smirk vanished. “Danvers?” Something weary crossed her face. “I don’t have a problem with you, Danvers. Stay out of it.”

“Lena _is_ my problem! I mean-” Kara started to stumble over her words, “not my problem but-” Kara took a deep, fortifying breath. “I’m telling you to leave Lena alone,” she said, steel laced through her voice.

Kara looked different. Not friendly, mild Kara who hoarded cookies in her robe pocket, this version of Kara was intimidating.

The Slytherin looked from Kara, to Lena, and back to Kara again. “You’re not worth the trouble.”

Sinclair and her group slowly walked past them and down the corridor. Kara kept glaring at them until they rounded the corner, out of sight. Her shoulders dropped and the bravado fell away.

“Thanks, Kara,” Lena said. Guilt began wriggling inside her like a worm. “You keep sticking up for me.” _She wasn’t worth all this trouble._

“I’d stick up for you even if we weren’t friends,” Kara said passionately, “it isn’t right. No one should say those _things_.” She glared at the wall, as if she could see through it.

The clock tower bell rang.

Kara jolted. A switch flipped, and her anger melted away. “Oh shoot, we’re late for Defense!”

 

### \----

 

Her one constant and grounding presence was Kara. It spread through the school like wildfire — do not insult Lena Luthor around Kara Danvers. She was the first person Lena saw in the morning and the last before falling asleep. Slowly, Lena adjusted to having a friend. As weeks went by and no word came from her mother, the tight knot of anxiety began to unravel ever so slightly inside her chest. If Lillian was going to ignore her sorting, that was alright with her. Her nightmares of receiving a howler became less and less frequent until they stopped altogether.

As Lena began to flourish, Kara began to wither. After fighting a cold the first week of school, Kara’s face once again turned sallow as the temperature outside grew colder. Some of the glow left her, along with that ever-present energy. Even her perfect golden locks were falling flat.

“I think you should see the nurse,” Lena said. Kara’s scarlet and gold house scarf was wrapped tight around her face, so only her eyes bloodshot were visible. Kara moved a gloved hand up and pushed the scarf down, so her mouth was free.

“I’m fine,” Kara said. She hadn’t eaten, moving her eggs around her full plate with her fork.

“You’re not fine. You’re really pale, and you didn’t even eat breakfast,” Lena said. This was ridiculous. A simple pepper up potion cured a common cold and a competent nurse could tend to the flu just as easily. Kara was stupidly stubborn for no good reason.

“You were sick last month, too. Maybe I should talk to Alex if you won’t listen to me-”

Kara slammed her fork down, dropping the pretense of eating.

“I said I’m fine!” Kara’s face twisted, mouth curling, and _glaring_ at her. “Drop it!”

Lena withdrew at the uncharacteristic display of anger. The walls rose inside with each passing second and smothered the hurt she felt until a comfortable numbness permeated inside her chest.

“Okay.” Lena stood, stepping back from the bench. It scraped along the floor.

Kara’s face was downturned and apologetic. “Lena-”

Lena avoided eye contact, swinging her bag over her shoulder. “I’ll see you in potions.”

 

\----

 

Everyone was at breakfast, leaving the dungeons empty. Lena leaned against the cold, stone wall beneath a torch bracket.

“Miss Luthor.” Lena pushed off from the wall and straightened her robe.

“Professor J’onzz,” Lena greeted. She smoothed down her robes self-consciously.

The tall, dark-skinned man stopped near the potions classroom doorway. His robes, always dark in color, were midnight blue today — the torchlight illuminating the blue tones in the almost black fabric.

“I was about to set up for class next period. Would you like to wait inside?”

Professor J’onzz walked over to where the cauldrons were sitting on the overnight shelves, along the furthest wall.

Lena sat at her table, where Kara’s empty seat to her left taunted her. She set her book bag on top of it.

Professor J’onzz looked inside the nearest cauldron where soft, foamy, smoke spiraled upward.

“Next week, we’ll add the moonstone for the new lunar cycle, then it will be ready to bottle for grading.”

Lena made a noise in agreement, but her mind was miles away. It felt inevitable this would happen. If not today, then someday soon. She expected to make it past November, though. _Stupid_. She should have expected this. Were they even friends anymore? Or was Kara done with her? If they were friends, how much longer would Kara put up with her? It was better to make the break herself.

She picked up her bag and sat down at a different desk. Professor J’onzz’s dark eyes followed her movements.

“Friends argue, Miss Luthor. It’s natural,” he said. It was like he read her mind. A knock at the door drew his attention from her.

“Enter.”

The large door creaked open on its hinges as the split Ravenclaw/Gryffindor potions class filed into the room.

Lena refocused her attention on a divot in the wooden desk in front of her, away from the group entering the class.

“You are one desk over from normal.”

A lone boy was standing beside the table. His bag was on the desk, and his hands steepled in front of his body. Even though they’d been together in potions for a few weeks, Lena never really noticed her other classmates. She looked at the boy. He had shoulder length dark hair, dark eyes, and medium dark skin. His blue and bronze Ravenclaw tie impeccably knotted at the base of his neck.

She didn’t think this through. Kara was her friend and class partner. She was the only one who would willingly work with a Luthor. Moving to a new spot opened her up for rejection and public humiliation.

“Can I sit here today?” Lena asked, voice quavering. He tilted his head, thinking.

“That is acceptable.” The boy swept off his outer robe and sat on the chair. He turned and extended his hand. “My name is Querl Dox, though the other students call me Brainy. Short for Brainiac,” he elaborated. Lena took it and opened her mouth to introduce herself. “You are Lena Luthor.”

Lena’s mouth snapped shut. So he knew who she was and let her sit with him. Interesting. She nodded. Satisfied, the boy dropped her hand and nodded to himself and pulled out his textbook, social niceties done for now.

The classroom filled up. Despite telling herself not to, Lena kept looking up, waiting for Kara.

She never showed.

Worry bit at her insides before she tried to squash it. Maybe she took her advice and went to the Infirmary, Lena thought. She hoped so. Their usual table sat empty.

 

\----

 

Brainy made a great table partner. He hardly spoke, except the occasional muttered comment to himself. The most noise he made was near the end of the class. His potion slowly turned from silver to grey, like polished concrete.

“Eureka!” He said, pumping his fist in the air. Beside him, Lena’s cauldron turned a shade lighter.

“You added one quarter too much snakeskin,” he said, looking over at her. “You should-”

“-dilute with a splash of water,” Lena finished for him. Brainy’s face shifted from surprised to pleased. The boy gave her a small smile, his face shimmering through the vapors in the room. Without permission, her eyes wandered over from her cauldron to their empty table — still no Kara. Lena looked away and adjusted her potion.

They spent the rest of the class period in companionable silence. The bell rang, releasing them for the mid-morning break. Brainy hovered beside the desk.

“That was an enjoyable period,” he said. His hands were back in that strange steepled position. “I find your company pleasant. Would you like to work towards building a friendship?”

Lena smiled at his social awkwardness. Different than Kara. She shook herself. He wasn’t Kara, and it was unfair to compare the two in her head. “I’d like that,” she answered.

“Excellent. I shall see you tomorrow in Charms,” Brainy said. He spun on his heel, walking upright and out the classroom door. Professor J’onzz’s back was to the classroom as he fiddled with something at his desk. Brainy was a great table partner...but he wasn’t Kara. Her heart twinged painfully inside her chest. Lena kept her head down, packing her bag. She exited the dungeons by herself, feeling very much alone for the first time since arriving at the school. She didn’t see Kara the rest of the day.

 

\----

 

When Lena woke up the next morning, Kara wasn’t in bed. Her four-poster was neatly made, with no sign Kara ever went to bed last night. Lena dressed for the day and walked down the spiral staircase to the common room. Still, no Kara.

Worry began to gnaw inside her. _Where was Kara?_ Lena looked around the common room.

It wasn’t crowded, with most of Gryffindor tower asleep or downstairs in the Great Hall, but the few Gryffindors awake stared at Lena. They were unfriendly states, judgmental, and Lena felt the full weight of her name on her shoulders.

Lena exited the common room and went down the flights of stairs to the Great Hall. Her heart pounded inside her chest. The closer she drew to the ground floor, the louder and more crowded it became. Without the solid strength of Kara beside her, something unmoored inside Lena. She felt adrift, disconnected, and out of place. The red and gold of her tie, the red lining on her robes felt like a target. She was alone, apart from everyone else. No one would touch a Luthor with a ten foot pole.

“Lena Luthor.” Brainy sped up, walking beside her. Lena noticed they were almost the same height. “How are you?”

She swallowed hard against her rising anxiety. Her Luthor training kicked in, and she shoved her feelings away for later. “I’m doing fine. How are you?”

“I am doing excellent-”

“Brainiac!”

They paused at the base of the stairs, just inside the Entrance Hall, turning. A boy hopped down the stairs two at a time, reaching them at the landing. Lena recognized him as a second year Gryffindor from the common room.

The older boy had short brown hair, spiked upwards, which only made his high forehead look that much taller. He set his hand roughly down on Brainy’s shoulder, ignoring Lena. “Have you thought about what I said?”

“I have,” Brainy said. The Gryffindor led Brainy down a side corridor and away from the crowd heading towards the Great Hall for breakfast. Lena followed, unwilling to leave him behind.

The older boy spun around, “What do you want, Luthor?”

Brainy cut in, “This is my new friend, Lena. Lena, this is Mike Matthews of Gryffindor.”

“It’s great you’re making friends, Brainiac,” Mike sounded insincere. “I didn’t want to do this in front of your friend.”

“Lena can stay.” Brainy turned to face him, steepling his fingers in front of his chest. “Upon consideration, it would not be productive to you or me to complete your homework. I will not do your essay, despite your continued insistence.”

Mike’s face turned blotchy. “It wasn’t a request, Brainiac.”

“We appear to misunderstand each other.”

Angrily, Mike stepped forward into Brainy’s space, grabbing the front of his robes.

Brainy’s hands stayed in the same relaxed position, unbothered by the older, taller boy. “Violence is not the answer,” he said, face passive as ever.

With a hard shove, Mike sent Brainy to the ground, reaching into his robes for his wand.

Anger coursed through Lena like fire. “Leave him alone,” she yelled, drawing her wand.

Mike left Brainy on the ground and faced her. “Stay out of it, Luthor.”

“Leave him alone,” she repeated.

“You’re bodyguard isn’t here today. Danvers, right? The little sister of that Slytherin girl.” He looked down his nose at her. Instinctively, Lena straightened. Her early lessons on dueling etiquette flew out her mind as she adopted the posture of her mother.

“Did she realize she could do better than a Luthor? Or did you finally turn on her?” His eyes lit up, “I’m sure your brother taught you everything he knows. Did you hex her, Luthor?”

Lena’s mouth was dry. Every spell she ever learned vanished like spilled potion. She stood paralyzed. Mike sneered, turning his wand back on Brainy.

“Have you changed your mind?”

White light shot out of his wand, striking Brainy, who yelped in pain.

“Lena!” Alex appeared like magic. Lena hadn’t seen much of her since they started Hogwarts. Now, she’d never been happier to see anyone in her life.

Alex drew her wand, pointing it directly at Mike. “What are you doing?” she demanded.

“Protecting Brainiac from the Luthor. She hexed him,” he lied. “I’m sure she cursed your sister, too.”

“Leave Kara out of this.” Alex glowered. They glared at each other in a stalemate. Mike’s hand began to move.

“ _Flipendo!_ ” Blue light shot out Alex’s wand, catching Mike around the stomach with a bang. He flew backward, his robes flipping over his head as the force of the spell knocked him back. A second later there was another bang, and a red light hit Mike, sending his wand flying from his hand. Alex caught it with a seeker’s reflexes.

“Leave.” Alex threw his wand down the corridor and away from them. “Now.”

Mike stood, his face as red as the lining of his robes. Alex raised her wand again. Cowed, he took off down the hall, picking up his wand as he went.

Alex walked over to Brainy, extending a hand. “Are you alright?”

Brainy took it, slowly stood. Lena hurried over to him.

He pulled back the sleeves of his robes. On his arm, a shiny red welt blossomed to the surface of his skin.

“Do you want to see the nurse?” Lena asked.

“I am fine. It was only a stinging jinx,” he said. He poked the welt with his finger in fascination.

Alex stood awkwardly to the side of them.

“Thank you,” Lena said.

“I saw Matthews drag you off and thought something was wrong.” Alex shrugged, modestly. “Has he given you problems before?”

“This is the first time he jinxed me,” Brainy replied. “Unexpected. He said he wanted to be my friend.”

“That’s not a friend,” Alex snarled. She glared down the corridor Matthews left down. “Bullying first years is a new low. If he does anything find me.”

Alex slid her wand inside her front robe pocket.

“Thanks, Alex,” Lena said, softly. Alex nodded before turning around to leave.

“Alex, wait.” Lena half jogged over to her. “Have you seen, Kara?” she asked, quietly.

Alex’s face gave nothing away. “She’ll be back soon. Don’t worry.”

 

\----

 

Two days passed before Kara returned to Hogwarts, face drawn and bags under her eyes, but looking one-hundred times better than before. Lena carefully avoided her, going far enough to grab dinner and eat it in an empty classroom. It was for the best. Without Kara as a buffer, no one wanted her sitting near them. With Kara playing peacemaker, she was grudgingly allowed at the Gryffindor table — she was one of them after all — but without Kara that small acceptance vanished. She couldn’t sit with Brainy either, because the Ravenclaws were under no obligation to let her sit with them. She was entirely alone. After dinner, she slipped away through the empty corridors.

“Lena!”

Lena stopped in the corridor leading from the Charms classroom to the library. Save the portraits; the hallway was empty of people. Lena was grateful for that. She didn’t need an audience.

She felt Kara’s presence beside her.

Kara stood beside her, fiddling with the straps of her bag. Lena fixed her eyes on the nearby window. Outside, the sun was beginning to set, despite it only being five in the afternoon.

“Hey,” Kara said.

Lex’s advice rang in her ears. _Look them in the eyes. Even if you’re shorter than them, you’re a Luthor. No one looks down on you._

“Hello.” She made eye contact.

Kara smiled weakly. “I missed you in class. And dinner.” Lena bit her lip but said nothing. “You made a new friend?” Kara asked.

“Querl Dox. He’s...interesting.” She didn’t elaborate, crossing her arms over her chest.

Kara crossed her arms, too, but couldn’t stay still, switching which arm was on top of the other, before they fell next to her sides again. “Alex told me what happened.”

Embarrassment shot through her. Of course, Alex would tell Kara.

Kara licked her lips. “I-I wanted to say sorry. About everything.” Kara said, defeated.

Her eyes darted down to the floor and away from Lena’s. Something inside Lena melted and shame prickled up her spine for causing that expression. Still, she had _questions_.

“Are you okay?” Lena asked, finally. Her biggest worry when Kara was gone, was that something had happened. Kara looked better than she had last week. Some of the bone-deep tiredness was gone, at least.

“I’m doing better.” Kara rubbed the back of her neck. “I’m really, really, _really_ sorry. I should have been there.”

“I’m sorry, too,” Lena said, feeling a flush creeping up her neck. “I overreacted before, and then you were gone.” She sighed. She wasn’t good at admitting when she was wrong. _Luthors were never wrong because they were Luthors._ It was hard to get that out of her head. “I’m sorry for pushing.”

Kara soothed her. “You were just worried about me, and I snapped at you, then I-” Kara trailed off. Lena didn’t push about her absence. Part of her felt like it wasn’t her place. Were they still best friends? Not for the first time, Lena wished there was a book or class for friendship. She was out of her depth. “You can tell me anything.”

“I know!” Kara reached over, grasping her by the arms. “It was never about you; you’re a great friend — my best friend! I’ve just never talked about this with anyone except family. It’s hard.”

Kara took a deep breath, removing her hands and pushing her glasses up her nose. “You know I was...gone.” Lena nodded. “I’m sick,” she said. Lena felt some of the air leave her lungs. Kara was quick to reassure. “It’s not major, but I have treatments every couple of weeks. I get flare-ups. Last week was bad. I’m really sorry.”

Lena’s mind raced a mile a minute, cataloging every illness known to wizard and muggle kind in her head, from Irritable Bowel Syndrome to Dragon Pox. Her eyes looked over Kara for some hint.

“I got treatment right after you left. You were right, I needed to go to the nurse, but I-” shame passed over her face, “I was embarrassed. You’re my best friend, and I wanted to tell you. I just-” She looked away again looking miserable. She shot Lena a hangdog expression, silently begging her not to pry.

Kara didn’t need to tell her details. She shouldn’t have pressed. Lena reached out this time, setting her hand softly on Kara’s arm. “How can I help?”

Kara’s shoulders dropped in relief. “I get treatments, and I’ll miss classes, like last week. Could you tell me what I miss?”

“I’ll make you a copy of my notes,” she said, already thinking of how to keep Kara up with their lessons. This was something she could do, a tangible way to show her friendship for Kara. Lightness filled her.

“Will you forgive me?” Kara asked.

“Only if you forgive me for being a jerk,” Lena countered. She counted Kara out far too easily.

Kara smiled, bright. “Deal. Can I hug you?” she asked.

Lena pretended to think about it, but dropped the act and opened her arms. Kara wrapped her in a bear hug, squeezing her tight. Lena squeezed back just as tightly.

 

\----

 

The sky overhead grew dark and the fires in the hearths burned day round. Winter came, and all of Hogwarts fell under her spell.

Brainy became a constant during the classes they shared with the Ravenclaws. At first, Lena was worried about the addition. What if Brainy and Kara didn’t get along? Would it change her friendship with Kara? What if Kara liked Brainy more than Lena? Would that change things?

She shouldn’t have worried. Kara became fast friends with Brainy, but Lena was her “bestest friend.” While Brainy and Lena shared a love of potions, Kara and Brainy shared a mutual interest in Defense Against the Dark Arts. The remaining weeks passed quickly.

Lena returned home for the winter holidays in good spirits.

The good feelings didn’t last. Lena spent an uncomfortable few weeks with her mother. Somehow, the woman grew more frosty in their time apart. Absence did not make the heart grow fonder. On Christmas Day, Lillian disappeared entirely, leaving Lena alone in the large, empty manor.

Luthor Manor spanned several acres of pristinely manicured lawns. It was a grand manor, all stone construction with ivy twisting up the weather-beaten sides of the buildings. A high stone fence guarded the borders of the property, a wrought iron gate with the Luthor Crest the only entrance.

Newly adopted, the twists and turns inside the estate frightened Lena. When she was first adopted, small and scared or the unfamiliar hallways, Lex had made a game of it. Her brother always made time for Lena, no matter how foolish her fears were. Her chest ached. This was her first holiday season without Lex, and she missed him, even though she knew she _shouldn’t_.

The house elves decorated the manor like they did every year. Everything was the same: a large tree inside the foyer, the fairy lights dangling from the stone banisters, and the wreaths of garland hanging between the doorways. Specters of the past lingered throughout the manor, from the chessboard nearby, where she learned to play against Lex, the desk where her father would do his business work, and the stacks of books from tutoring.

“Your dress robes are waiting in your room for tomorrow night.”

Lillian did not look up from her copy of the Daily Prophet.

“Tomorrow?” Lena asked.

Lillian raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. “The gala? Surely, you didn’t forget.”

Lena hadn’t forgotten, she’d just assumed Lillian wouldn’t want her around. Wishful thinking. “I didn’t realize I was attending this year,” Lena said, pushing a forkful of eggs around her plate.

“Your housing, while unfortunate, does not change what or who you are. We are Luthors, and they want to see us crumble. We must present a united front.”

“You haven’t sent me a letter,” Lena said, looking up at Lillian. “Not one.”

Lillian lowered her paper, enough for her eyes to cut into Lena. “You do not need to be coddled. Why would I need to send you mail? We both know you don’t want to receive letters from me. Why the pretense?”

It was one thing to know Lillian didn’t care, hearing it was another thing entirely. “Lex was always your favorite,” Lena said, accusing.

“Every parent has their favorites. Anyone who says otherwise is lying.” Lillian daintily bit into her toast. Not even a crumb fell onto her robes. Something cold twisted inside her stomach, rising like a snake.

The Danvers family wasn’t like that. She’d seen Eliza when she’d picked up Kara and Alex from the train station. Lillian hadn’t bothered showing up — a house elf picked her up from the station.

“Do not scowl, Lena — and stop slouching.” Lena fixed her most neutral expression onto her face and felt her back straighten without thought. “I have been keeping tabs on you. Just because you’re in _Gryffindor_ ,” her nose wrinkled, “doesn’t mean you can drag the family name down. You’re friends with Eliza Danvers’ adopted daughter. A half-blood family, though, I don’t know about her-”

Mail delivery interrupted the uncomfortable conversation. A large owl landed next to her plate, a package tied to its leg. She knew who it was from immediately because only Kara would send her something like that. Tiny penguins dressed in Santa hats danced across the striped green and red wrapping paper. The present was finished off with a glittering golden bow.

Lillian’s mouth thinned in distaste. “From Danvers?” she asked. Lena stiffly nodded.

Lena quickly removed the package and the accompanying letter. The owl hopped from the table and into the air, out the open window once more.

“I’m going to my room,” Lena announced, pushing her chair back.

“Lena.” Lena froze. Her mother looked at her with searching eyes. “They are not your friends. Luthors do not have friends. You are in Gryffindor, but you are not one of them. Do not disappoint me, again.”

 

\----

   

It was a relief to return to Hogwarts in early January. Kara found her on the platform and nearly tacked her in excitement.

“Lena!” Kara wrapped her in a bear hug. They boarded the Express. Alex muttered hello before slinking off to her compartment the moment their mother was out of sight. Kara kept up a steady stream of conversation, not pausing for breath. The lingering Luthor frost thawed in Kara’s presence.

Kara filled the compartment with happy chatter about her holidays: Hanukkah with the Danverses and finally visiting her cousin for Christmas.

“I can’t remember the last holiday we spent together. I never see him,” Kara added, rummaging through her bag for her packed lunch. It was the first time Kara mentioned a cousin. She never talked about her birth family. It was odd, now that Lena thought about it. Lena knew the Danverses adopted her at age eight, but didn’t know about her life before that, or even her birth name.

“I didn’t know you had a cousin,” Lena said.

Kara’s face froze, eyes bulging before she tried to laugh it off. Her sandwich almost flew out of her waving hands.

“Yeah, I have a cousin. Just one. But he’s older, and I don’t see him a lot.” Her behavior was odd. If Kara didn’t want to talk about it, she wouldn’t press. Lena shrugged it off and let Kara change the subject. She didn’t like talking about family either.

“Do you want to play wizard’s chess? Let’s play wizard’s chess!”

 

\----

 

Brainy met them inside the doors of the castle.

“Hello,” he greeted. “Gryffindor and Ravenclaw follow a similar route to their dorms. Shall we travel together?” he asked. They agreed.

They walked up the staircases with the rest of the returning student body.

“I was unsure of the parameters of gift giving.” Brainy raised his voice, over the noise around them. “I trust you found my presents sufficient?”

“Thank you for the candy,” Kara said, enthusiastic. “You didn’t have to get me anything — I know we’re not super close friends yet.”

They paused on the fifth-floor landing, where their paths naturally diverged. Brainy stood off to the side and out of traffic. “Gift giving helps facilitate friendship bonds. I am hopeful we will reach friendship soon.”

“We are friends, Brainy,” Kara said, looking taken aback. She stopped in the middle of the landing. A larger student smashed painfully into her shoulder, and Lena moved closer to the wall.

“We are?” Uncharacteristic confusion passed over his face. “I was not aware of this.” His brows furrowed. “Have we been friends long?” he said, under his breath and to himself.

Feeling awkward, Lena cut in. “It’s not an announcement, Brainy,” Lena said. “It’s a feeling. You just know.”

Brainy shifted uncertainty from one foot to the other. For the first time, he looked out of his element, some of the calm facade fading from his face. It made him look younger — or like an eleven-year-old. Lena forgot he was the same age as them; he seemed so much older at times.

“Feelings are difficult, fickle, and unquantifiable,” he said. “I find social situations challenging.”

“Hey,” Kara’s face was kind. She tried making eye contact with Brainy, difficult as that was. His eyes were constantly darting around and never maintaining eye contact. “If you’re ever not sure about something, you can ask me. I’m not an expert, but I know what it’s like to be somewhere new and feel lost.”

Brainy’s mouth twitched into a small smile. “That is agreeable. Thank you.”

 

\----

 

Kara made a point to introduce Brainy to Alex as “my new friend, Brainy.” They got along very well, with Kara acting as Brainy’s unofficial mentor in all things people related. The familiar fears, suppressed inside her internal boxes, made themselves known again — familiar insecurity rising back up. Lena shoved it down. It roared to life in their shared class periods.

The charms classroom was longer than it was wide, with two long rows of desks stretching along both walls. Books stacked along the large window covered wall, casting shadows down the aisle way. As usual, Brainy saved two seats for them on the bench.

“Hey, Brainy,” Kara greeted. She waited for Lena to sit next to Brainy, before settling on her left-hand side. The surrounding chatter faded into the background. The classroom door opened.

“Today we’ll be learning the Knockback Jinx, _Flipendo_. We only have a few dummies, so you’ll be working in groups, taking turns casting on a dummy. Support each other.”

Professor Jessica Cruz walked the length of the room, emerald robes swishing behind her. She waved her wand. Target dummies on wheels rolled out the surrounding closet, lining against the furthest wall.

“We’ve gotten too comfortable with our seatmates. This lesson I’ll split you into groups of three through a random draw.” Lena looked over at Kara. A sense of doom and foreboding washed over her.

Cruz raised her wand again. A puff of smoke coiling out of the wand’s end, twisting in the air and forming three names — Kara Danvers, Oliver Queen, and Querl Dox.

“Miss Danvers, Mister Queen, and Mister Dox will partner up. Next-” Lena tuned out, mind running a mile a minute. With Kara and Brainy paired, she was stuck with unknown partners. Lena kept her eyes on the wand. Finally, her name slithered out: Lena Luthor, Eve Teschmacher, and Gayle Marsh.

Lena swallowed, hard. She looked across the room, seeking out Gayle Marsh and Eve Teschmacher’s blonde haired heads from the bunch. She made eye contact.

Professor Cruz released them into their groups. Gayle never spoke during class. Lena knew from observation that Gayle spent most of her time with Imra Ardeen of Hufflepuff. She knew a little more about Eve. Eve was bubbly and friendly, if a little spacy. They broke off into their groups and to the closest dummy.

“Dueling is prohibited, and I never want to see you use this jinx on anyone-” Professor Cruz continued her lecture.

Lena watched from the corner of her eye. Kara laughed at something Brainy said, the sound carrying across the room. _Kara is always happy,_ she told herself. Kara presented a happy face, but Lena also knew she was guarded around others, even if she didn’t look it. Brainy was one more person to be comfortable around, and Lena was happy for her. Happy for them both, because Brainy was isolated and alone in Ravenclaw. In him, Lena saw a version of herself had she been sorted in Slytherin, alone without friends in her house.

“Pay attention, Luthor,” Gayle bumped hard against her shoulder. “I don’t want to be grouped with you either.”

Eve grimaced apologetically at her. Lena focused back on the task at hand. Professor Cruz stopped talking and now it was their turn.

She wasn’t ready for the jinx. One second, she was aiming at the target, wand at the ready. The next, she was on the ground, ears ringing. The side of her head throbbed with every heartbeat. She reached up and something warm and wet trickled down her hand.

Someone was yelling, out of focus. “-do that for?”

Lena blinked and two Kara’s came into focus in front of her. Lena tried to stand up, before falling back on the ground, the world falling to black.

 

\----

 

Lena slowly came back to consciousness, her sense of touch the first to awaken. She moved her fingers, feeling the scratch of thick cotton sheets. The acrid smell of potions assaulted her senses next. She struggled and opened her eyes, blinking blearily into the dimly lit hospital wing.

She blinked again, and Brainy came into focus in the chair next to her cot.

“Ah, you are awake. Excellent.” He sat up in the chair, moving forward to the edge of his seat.

Lena looked around. The hospital wing was empty, save them. The last thing she remembered was Charms, then nothing. “What happened?”

“A Gryffindor boy hit you with a knockback jinx. You hit your head on a desk,” Brainy explained.

“Why?” Lena’s mind was processing much slower than normal. It didn’t make sense. “Did they miss?”

Brainy looked at her, stared at her, and she _knew_.

“My brother?” she asked. He nodded, something unrecognizable twisting on his face. Lena looked up at the ceiling, jaw clenching hard. _Lex_.

The lack of physical incidents lulled her into a false sense of security. _Luthors are always prepared for an attack._

“Kara is in detention and apologizes for her absence.”

The blindsides didn’t stop coming. “Wh- how is she in detention?” She rubbed her temples. Low pounding, like the beat of a drum, was building steadily in her head.

“Kara ‘defended your honor.’ Professor Cruz broke them up,” Brainy explained. “Her knockback jinx was considerably stronger than his.”

Lena rubbed her hands over her face, moaning. “She shouldn’t have done that.”

“It was not a smart move in front of witnesses, but you are her best friend,” Brainy said.

She didn’t think, the words spilling out. “You’re coming close,” she said petulantly. The knock to her head seemingly stole her filter as well.

“You are feeling emotionally threatened. This is illogical. You and Kara share an emotional kinship. My presence does not interfere with that.”

With her biggest insecurity out in the open, there was no way to go but forward. “You’ve been spending a lot of time together,” Lena said.

“Kara is helping me. I cannot quantify relationships, and interpersonal connection is difficult. I am grateful to you both for your assistance.”

Guilt bit into her. “I’m sorry, Brainy.”

“Insecurity is a human emotion, do not apologize.” He looked around the still empty hospital wing. He stood up. “The nurse should have seen you by now. I will find her. Rest.”

 

\----

 

A day later, Professor Cruz visited her. She sat by her bedside and spoke in a soft voice, unlike her “teacher voice.”

“I am sorry you got hurt, Miss Luthor. I should have protected you.”

Humiliating tears started welling in Lena’s eyes. She blinked them away, forcing her face to relax.

“I know what it’s like to be afraid. My class is a safe place. I promise you will be safe in my class from here on out.”

Professor Cruz left her with a pat on the shoulder. “If you need someone to talk to, my door is always open.”

 

\----

 

The nurse released Lena from the hospital the next day, her mild concussion healed with no side effects. Kara, Brainy, and Alex, surprisingly enough, waited by the hospital wing for her.

“Lena!” Kara wrapped her in a hug. She pulled back. “I’m sorry I didn’t see you yesterday.”

“That happens when you’re serving detention,” Alex commented. She was leaning against the wall, apart from the first years. She nodded at Lena. “You’re doing alright, Lena?” Lena looked over and nodded, shocked she was there.

Kara moved her hands to her hips, glaring at her sister. “You said I did the right thing.”

“You did, but _right in front of a teacher_? Mom sent me a howler, asking how I let you get into a fight.” She pushed off the wall. “Now that we all know she’s fine, I’ve got things to do. Lucy got into another fight with James.” She rolled her eyes. “Stop getting jinxed, Luthor,” she yelled over her shoulder.

 

\----

 

The rest of the semester passed in a blur. As expected, Kara missed a few days of class from illness. Brainy took his newfound responsibilities as a friend seriously, adding annotations to Lena’s copious notes, so Kara missed nothing. Slowly, Lena eased back into the rhythm of school.

They spent their free time in the transfiguration courtyard, one of the few places inter-house friends could spend time together outside classes. Before anyone knew it, it was May and exam season began.

 

\----

 

Their last exam was potions. Professor J’onzz had them brew a forgetfulness potion from memory. He walked the length of the classroom, between the rows of desks where each student sat in front of an individual cauldron, where everyone struggled to evenly and quickly quarter mistletoe berries, and dice Valerian sprigs.

Lena peered through the smoke and down into her cauldron, where the potion bubbled away a bright cranberry red. She pushed back the strands of dark hair whisping out of her ponytail. Wiping her sweaty forehead with the back of her hand, she looked around the room. Brainy was calmly stirring counterclockwise, without a drop of sweat on his face. Kara was muttering to herself, her braids still impeccable despite the humidity in the air, carefully adding Lethe water with an eyedropper. Another grain of sand fell to the bottom of the hourglass on Professor J’onzz’s desk.

Two hours later and they were free.

“My potion was pink,” Kara said. They walked up the spiral stone staircase leading up to the ground floor of the castle. “It was supposed to turn red.”

“Did you add enough Valerian?” Brainy asked. They turned right and down a corridor, past a gaggle of third-year Hufflepuffs.

“Two sprigs,” Kara answered.

“Maybe it was a small sprig,” Lena said, shrugging. “I’m sure you did fine.”

The corridor opened onto the transfiguration courtyard. A large tree shaded the grassy, open space. A group of older Ravenclaws took up the shady grass underneath, leaving the sunlit benches pushed up against the edges of the lawn.

Lena slid her bag underneath the bench and out of direct sunlight. Kara flopped down next to Lena, while Brainy stood alert beside them.

Kara glowed in the sunlight, looking healthier than she had the previous month.

“I can’t believe we're done,” she said, stretching.

Brainy cleared his throat, “Incorrect, we have three days remaining before leaving for home.”

“Exams are over. We’re as good as done,” Lena said. Her stomach sank at the thought. While Kara and Brainy talked about their upcoming summer vacations (Kara did most of the talking), Lena stayed silent and inside her head.

Hogwarts was more her home than Luthor Manor, and her friends cared about her more than Lillian ever pretended to. Even Alex warmed up to her after the Matthews incident, giving her a friendly nod in the corridors and across the Great Hall during meals.

It was with a certain amount of trepidation she boarded the Hogwarts express home. Kara promised to write to her every day (Brainy said he would write twice a month), but Lena kept her hopes down. It was easier to keep her expectations low and then be pleasantly surprised. Promises were easily broken.

Her stomach twisted, as she landed on the Luthor Manor’s expansive green lawn. Home again.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, thank you for reading! Tell me what you liked, didn't like, etc. I live for feedback.
> 
> PS: I'm marking this as complete for now because I'm blocked on this story. First year can stand alone and if and when I get inspiration, I will work on it again.


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